Geeze if you love honkus.
Kendra introduced me to a new word some time ago: jackassery. I wasn't certain I liked this new word at frst--it's certainly not a common construction, and as an English major, I pay attention to such things. However, over time, it's grown on me. When in the company of knaves, one must expect knavery. Thus, in the company of jackasses, one must expect jackassery.
(If I'm misquoting this, Kendra will laugh at me. Very hard).
Theorum: If human beings are, in general, jackasses, then motorists are doubly so.
As proof, I would like to present a little number I call "the horn as intimate greeting." What inner devil posesses otherwise sane people and causes them to honk their car horns at someone they know? Particularly when racing along a six-lane road at 50 mph?
A small stretch of my daily walk is along the shoulder of a six-lane road. It's necessary to get from point A to point B, and it's not really dangerous as there's a good 10-20 feet of shoulder there, depending on exactly which patch you're standing in at the moment. And as I walk along the shoulder of the road, people will honk their horns. I can only assume they're people who recognize me--"Oh my god why are you walking along the edge of a road?" is not a common honk hereabouts, as the answer is usually "reaching the closest bus stop." But no one has come forward yet, and thus, I am unable to politely request that they change their behavior.
And so, I have come to posting this little tidbit in my journal. It is the compiled wisdom of years growing up as a cyclist's daughter: If you are in a moving vehicle, for the love of the gods, don't honk your horn at anything that changes angular momentum faster than you do! This would be cyclists, pedestrians, critters, and small children using any form of locomotion known to man. It scares the hell out of us and may cause us to move in unexpected directions. It is not a polite way to warn the cyclist who can hear your engine perfectly well that there is a car behind him to the left, and it does not result in recognition of your speedily-passing face behind a tinted window.
This PSA brought to you by Coronaries R Us.
(If I'm misquoting this, Kendra will laugh at me. Very hard).
Theorum: If human beings are, in general, jackasses, then motorists are doubly so.
As proof, I would like to present a little number I call "the horn as intimate greeting." What inner devil posesses otherwise sane people and causes them to honk their car horns at someone they know? Particularly when racing along a six-lane road at 50 mph?
A small stretch of my daily walk is along the shoulder of a six-lane road. It's necessary to get from point A to point B, and it's not really dangerous as there's a good 10-20 feet of shoulder there, depending on exactly which patch you're standing in at the moment. And as I walk along the shoulder of the road, people will honk their horns. I can only assume they're people who recognize me--"Oh my god why are you walking along the edge of a road?" is not a common honk hereabouts, as the answer is usually "reaching the closest bus stop." But no one has come forward yet, and thus, I am unable to politely request that they change their behavior.
And so, I have come to posting this little tidbit in my journal. It is the compiled wisdom of years growing up as a cyclist's daughter: If you are in a moving vehicle, for the love of the gods, don't honk your horn at anything that changes angular momentum faster than you do! This would be cyclists, pedestrians, critters, and small children using any form of locomotion known to man. It scares the hell out of us and may cause us to move in unexpected directions. It is not a polite way to warn the cyclist who can hear your engine perfectly well that there is a car behind him to the left, and it does not result in recognition of your speedily-passing face behind a tinted window.
This PSA brought to you by Coronaries R Us.
posted by Journey | 12:34 PM
2 Comments:
As an avid cyclist of many years I'm right with you on the horn-honkerry.
Another great word, when dealng with crackpots: crackpottery.
--durangodave
*laughs out loud*
Oy vey. Thanks--I needed that just now. :)
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